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St Peter,
Sheringham

Above
all else in Norfolk, I love the north-east coast,
the area promoted in the late 19th century as
Poppyland. Once the railways arrived, and Clement
Scott was developing Overstrand, the two main
settlements of Cromer and Sheringham became
briefly very fashionable, two turn-of-the century
seaside resorts with all the architecture that
implies. Once the First World War had passed,
they fell from favour and disappeared into a kind
of timewarp, still attracting in profusion
holidaymakers who like exactly that kind of
place.

For me, Cromer and Sheringham, with
their sandy beaches, rockpools, cliffs, piers and
amusements, are the resorts in the Ladybird Book
of the Seaside - you expect to meet Peter and
Jane, or Janet and John, carrying their buckets
and spades down to the shoreline.

The
medieval parish of which Sheringham was a part was
centred on the small church of All Saints in the remote
hamlet of Upper Sheringham. There was a need for an
Anglican presence down in the new resort. So, in 1895,
this huge barn of a church opened to meet the needs of
this vast and sudden influx of holiday makers. It was the
work of JP St Aubyn, his last commission - in fact, he
died shortly after work commenced. It was completed by
his partner, Henry Wadling. The exterior is unknapped
flint trimmed with red brick, wholly in keeping with the
other buildings of the town. There is a spirelet at the
west end above a bell turret. Internally, it is red brick
with stone trimming, and reminiscent of Blomfield's work
in the same decade. It was obviously intended for High
Church worship.

The
windows are in an Early English idiom, although,
as Pevsner points out, the overall architectural
scheme is reminiscent of a great hall of the late
Middle Ages. The furnishings of the chancel also
point to a 15th century influence, although the
nave is thankfully filled with modern chairs.
There is a lot of early 20th century glass, and
most of it is very good indeed. I particularly
like the array of national Saints along the south
range. The more recent sacrament windows at the
west end are perhaps less good, being a bit
kitschy, but they let in a lot of light, for
which we may be thankful.

There is a
mission statement up at the main door which goes
out of its way to emphasise quite how welcoming
and inclusive this church is. It makes
fascinating reading.